One of the largest and most common expenditures for a pilot of any type of aircraft is fuel; why not take that expense and turn it into gas rewards and other benefits?

New programs are being offered do just that. Fashioned after the number of popular programs aimed at the average driving consumer, such as the Safeway/Von’s fuel rewards or certain credit card programs, FlyBuys rewards program is a new concept being offered to pilots, schedulers, dispatchers, crew members and flight departments.

The FlyBuys aviation fuel rewards program is membership-based and offers numerous options for receiving benefits. There is absolutely no cost to enroll and set up a membership profile.

The program is quite simple. For every gallon of aviation fuel purchased, you will receive a credit of one point towards the receipt of a gift card which can be redeemed online from over 200 merchants, or at any participating Chevron or Texaco branded gas station. Additional points are earned if the fuel is purchased with a Chevron Alliance credit card.

Chevron and Texaco gift cards can be used to purchase anything from gas to sundries in the station store while SuperCertificates from GiftCertificates.com can be redeemed at hundreds of participating retailer, restaurants and more! No matter what option you choose - Chevron and Texaco or SuperCertificates - they never expire.

A unique feature of the FlyBuys program is that accumulated gas reward points can be equally split amongst up to five members. This is a great benefit, particularly for large operations where more than one person may be involved in fueling a particular plane.

Another great part of this gas rewards plan is that members can accumulate their points for a period of up to 24 months! Some pilots may prefer to consider the program a savings account. Why not save all your points until it’s time to shop for the holidays? With the ability to redeem points at GiftCertificates.com, you can choose to purchase all your holiday presents at a variety of stores, restaurants, theatres, hotels, and airlines. What a great, hassle-free way to shop!

As a pilot, or a member of a flight department, you know that you are going to have to outlay a great deal of money on fuel purchases in order to operate your airplane or helicopter. Why not receive an added benefit from this necessary expense?

Truly, it is a wonder that more companies do not offer gas rewards to pilots, especially in the current depressed economy which creates fierce competition. In light of the volatile swings in the price of fuel, can you really afford not to sign up for this rewarding money-saving plan?